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.CaWwell WilUm M.;, 



To tW Konovalole Scwat* •=: nc/ 
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WasWftow, i860- 



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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives 
in ( f ongress assembled : 

The undersigned memorialists, citizens of Washington, 
District of Columbia, owners of property on the Line of 

F street west of the new State, War, and Navy Depart- 
ment building, respectfully beg Leave to submit the fol- 
lowing tacts regarding the work done under the direction 
of the late " Board of Public Works " of this city between 
the said building and Twenty-fourth street northwest : 

1st. That the depression of the grade, -^ cut, on F 
street as above, was made to Lower the surface of the 
street to the new street-line adopted by the architect of 
the said building, A. B. Mullett. (We are credibly in- 
formed thai Mr. Mullett, though a member of the late 
Board of Public Works, refused to sign any assessment 
certificates issued in respect to this improvement, so called, 
because it did not result in especial benefit to the abut- 
ting private property, and likewise because it was prop- 
erly chargeable against the General Government, being 
made in its interest, as aforesaid.) That the same was 
done for Tinted States Government uses and purposes 
and by United States Government officers, as will be seen 
by reference to Mr. Riullett's testimony before the Stark- 
weather Committee, (Report No. 72, May 18, 1K72, 42d 
Congress, 2d session, pages ">7.">, 576, <fcc.,) and that one 
of the finest and most beautiful streets in the West End 
of the city was lowered in grade from four t<> ten or 
twelve feet, causing greal injury and damage t«» the prop- 
erty of your petitioners abutting ou F street in various 
ways, such as — 

1st. Difficulty and inconvenience of access to the same 



from the necessity of added steps to react the dwellings 
and other buildings <>n said Btreet. 

2d. Theadded expense and labor in supplying fuel and 
other necessaries fco their premises. 

.">d. Tin* preservation, at considerable com, of the sus- 
taining walls of the embankments and the coping, <fec, 
&c, created by the cut. 

4th. Destruction <>f beautiful shade trees a half century 
old, lining l>oth sides of said street. 

5th. Loss to property-holders in many cases by the va- 
cation of their premises by tenants, on account of unhealth- 
fulness created by the disturbance of the soil during L2 
months and over. 

6th. The derangement of the sewer system and drain- 
age of said street by cutting so closely to the sewers, no- 
tably in the more western end of the street, and indeed 
other damage, which may easily be seen upon inspection 

Of the street. 

Your memorialists respectfully state that the work so 
done, for Grovernmenl use, was under the supervision of 
the late Board of Public Works, and was from the incep- 
tion thereof vigorously protested against by them, ami 
that they did not. confine themselves to mere protest, but 
were forced t o commence proceedings in the District courts 
against the levy of special assessments for said work on 
their property, which was and is a very serious cloud 
thereupon, causing to them greal expense and anxiety. 

Also, that the said work was done in many ways \er\ 
extravagantly, and the charges made for the same were 
much in excess of the value of the work, and included 
unlawful and wrongful charges, which were 80 apparent 
to your honorable bodies that you ordered a revision of 
the street special assessments, and under the said act of 
revision some reductions were made by the District Coin- 



missioners, who evidently did all they could under the 
act to alleviate the burden on property-holders, but not 
to the extent that your petitioners deem sufficient or due 
to them. 

Also, that ten per centum per annum interest was 
charged from 1872, the time of original assessment, in 
lieu of six per centum, which latter rate was all that was 
contemplated by your Honorable Bodies in the act for the 
same, thus nearly doubling the amount of the bills ren- 
dered. This was, evidently, entirely at variance with 
legislation on this point. 

Your petitioners submit that if interest were charged 
at all, it should have been from the date of revision of 
these special assessments in 1879. 

We protest wholly against these special assessments 
upon and damages to our property again, because that in 
direct defiance of the organic law of the District certifi- 
cates of indebtedness were issued against our property 
before the completion of the work on said F street, (in- 
deed, the work has not yet been completed,) and were 
bought up, it is understood, at considerable discount by 
a foreign banking company, which has constantly endeav- 
ored to enforce the payment of said certificates upon your 
petitioners, who have as constantly opposed the said com- 
pany in the District courts, until the said company was 
sustained in their demands by the U. S. Supreme Court. 
when your petitioners, being forced to pay their certifi- 
cates, did so under protest. 

Now, the undersigned, your petitioners, come before 
your Honorable Bodies for full relief and redress, upon 
the ground that their property has been grievously dam- 
aged tor the benefit and purposes of the United States 

Government, and their appeal properly lies to your Hon- 
orable Houses, who we humbly beg will render void and 



of uon-effect the said special a 9men1 as against their 

property on F Btreel aforesaid, so thai your petitioners, \\ ho 
bave been forced to pay the same, maj be refunded for prin- 
cipal and interest all their payments on account of the same, 
and also those who have not made such payments may 
be relieved by an act t<> be passed 1>\ your Honorable 
Bouses, to cancel all certificates of indebtedness of what- 
ever nature there may exist for special assessments against 
your memorialists' property on F street, between Seven- 
teenth and Twenty-fourth streets northwest, and also in- 
cluding and directing to be made, by some fair and hon- 
orable means, an examination of the damages to your 
memorialists' property, caused by the change of grade in 
said street, and an award therefor, with instructions to 
the District Commissioners, or to the Treasurer of the 
United States, to pay such awards to the parties in in- 
terest. 

And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. 

WM. M. CALDWELL, 
WM. B. WE 15 1 5, 
NATHANIEL MICRLER, 
(HAS. I). MAXWELL, 
JNO. L EDWARDS, 

for h, ira of Jab. H. Edwards ; 
ROBERT REYBURN, 
WM. GUNTON, 
COLUMBUS ALEXANDER, 
WM. II. MINNIX, 

An HER8. 






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